


H(a)unted

by SmoakingGreenArrow



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-26
Updated: 2018-10-26
Packaged: 2019-08-07 17:46:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,519
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16413023
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SmoakingGreenArrow/pseuds/SmoakingGreenArrow
Summary: Prompt: One where Oliver is out of prison but very aware of his surroundings, especially when he goes out with felicity and William. He doesn’t want to let them out of his sight because he’s paranoid about something happening to them and their safety.





	H(a)unted

“And Oliver, how does that make you feel?”

Staring at the wall ahead of him, Oliver licked his lips, trying to come up with the right answer. The one that would appease his wife. Earn him forgiveness.

But she’d just said that she wasn’t sure whether or not their marriage was a mistake.

And he felt fucking numb.

“Oliver?” The therapist, Dr. Holbrook, prompted again, shifting in her chair across the room, trying to catch his attention.

“It wasn’t a mistake,” he mumbled under his breath.

“If your marriage were to fail,” she mused, making Oliver’s eyes snap to her. “Then what? What do you think Felicity could have done differently?” 

Silence. 

Dr. Holbrook smiled as if she expected him to keep his mouth shut. “Oliver, You’ve made it clear during our sessions that you want to stay together. You want to be with Felicity, so would you see a divorce as your wife giving up?”

At the question, Oliver’s eyes narrowed at the so-called expert, rivaling the glares he pinned on Star City criminals. “This is not her fault.”

Dr. Holbrook raised her eyebrows, “well, why not? You’ve said that you won’t be the one to walk away. Which makes it Felicity’s decision to either break up or to work it out. Right?”

“I don’t like what you’re suggesting,” he growled. “We’re here because of  _my_ choices.”

“So if you refuse to blame Felicity…if her deciding to leave would be an understandable response to the decision  _you_ made…then does that mean you’d let her go?”

Oliver froze, considering the reality of that. Not that he would ever force her to stay with him, in any sense. But to not even fight? To say ‘I screwed up so I get it, pass me the divorce papers and I’ll sign them’?

No…that wasn’t an option either. He had to at least  _try_ to change his wife’s mind. “If Felicity really doesn’t want to be with me, if she  _truly_ doesn’t love me anymore…then yes, I would let her go.”

Dr. Holbrook lifted her hands, shrugging. “Felicity, does that seem fair?” 

He couldn’t look at his wife, especially not when he heard her sigh, a pained little sound escaping her throat. And he knew she was crying.

“I do love you, Oliver.” She whispered. Her hand slowly slid across the couch, brushing against his. He quickly turned his hand over, offering it to her. And she slipped her fingers through his, squeezing gently.

Finally, he let his gaze flicker up to hers, his eyes welling with tears as soon as she gave him a watery, sad smile.

This was tough. One of the most exhausting things he’d ever had to do. Which surprised him after all of the torture he’d already endured. But this was painful in a different way.

“Okay,” Dr. Holbrook said quietly, but Felicity was looking at him. Really looking. And he couldn’t take his eyes off of her. “So, do we think we’re ready to stop having the ‘ _should_ we stay together’ debate, and start focusing on ‘ _how_ do we stay together?’”

Felicity bit her lip, still looking into his eyes as she nodded.

“Good,” Dr. Holbrook answered. “Oliver, tell me one thing you love about Felicity.”

Finally looking away from his wife, Oliver glanced at the therapist suspiciously, feeling like he was walking into some sort of trap. But Dr. Holbrook just smiled, reading his hesitation and encouraging him to share. He sighed. Expressing his feelings wasn’t exactly his strong suit. And it was a fight within himself every time he had to do it. It was much more comfortable to swallow those feelings. 

But that was part of why they were there.

The months in prison had reminded him that emotion was weakness, caused him to backslide to the lone wolf he’d once thought himself to be. Before Felicity. And he was having a really hard time  _not_ thinking like that anymore. The ‘kill or be killed’, ‘strike before you end up dead’ mentality was an ingrained part of him that Felicity had slowly exorcised. Her love had allowed him to shelf it, to put it away when he wanted to and take it out when he needed to. He just had to get back to that. 

Oliver was struggling though, which was probably why Felicity suggested therapy in the first place.

He knew that  _effort_ was what she wanted most. She just needed to see that the man she married was still inside of him, that the coldness of prison needed time to thaw so he could breathe again. Then she would know that he was still worth it. Felicity was not asking for much, and he wanted to give her so much more.

“She’s brilliant,” Oliver breathed. “Felicity is the smartest person I’ve ever met…it’s amazing what she can do.” His thumb absently rubbed the back of her hand.

Oliver watched as a small smile pulled at the corner of Felicity’s lips, not quite reaching her eyes. “Good, Oliver,” Dr. Holbrook praised. “What else? Give me something a bit more personal. I’m sure Felicity has no shortage of compliments on her intelligence. What is it about her that made you fall in love?”

Cocking his head to the side, Oliver waited until Felicity looked at him, her cheeks flushed from all the attention being on her. “She has so much empathy,” Oliver whispered, “she cares about everyone she meets and she always sees the best in people. When I met her, I needed that…I needed someone to believe in  _me_. Felicity has always wanted more for me. To have a life. A future. To be happy.” 

Letting out a shallow breath, he admitted, “I didn’t even think I deserved to be alive when I first met her,” he watched as his wife’s eyes welled with fresh tears. And he flinched, regretting the words for the reaction. But he knew she deserved to hear them. “I needed to know that people could be kind, and selfless, and compassionate. That there was still good in the world. Felicity proved to me that all of that was true.  _She_ was that good, and she always will be. My light in the darkness.”

His wife let out a deep breath, pulling her lips to the side. She didn’t need to be prompted by Dr. Holbrook to return the sentiment. “I love his passion,” she answered after a moment. “I had never met anyone so passionate. Oliver doesn’t do anything halfway. It was always all or nothing with him. And…I don’t know, I guess as scary as it was…I wanted someone to love me like that.” Felicity cleared her throat when he tilted his head to stare at her. “With everything they have.”

“I do,” he mumbled to her, looking at her, his eyes holding the weight of the truth to his words. “I have loved you like that for seven years, Felicity.”

* * *

“We don’t have to do this,” 

“Of course we do,” Oliver sighed, giving up on his tie and flexing his fingers. He cursed under his breath, trying to make his hands stop shaking. “It’s a big night for our son.”

Stepping towards him, Felicity finished tying the knot over his neck, keeping her attention on the task…definitely  _not_ on the muscles beneath his suit. Yet her face still began to flush, feeling his eyes focus on her. And she knew from experience what that look did to her, shades of deep blue in his eyes that made her wish he’d never stop looking at her.

“I like when you call him that,” Felicity mumbled, letting her hand slip down his chest, telling herself that she was simply smoothing out the tie…definitely  _not_ feeling his muscles beneath the shirt.

“What? Our son?” Oliver asked just as lowly, dipping his chin to try to catch her eye. She nodded, keeping her gaze locked on her hand, watching her polished fingernails toy with one of his buttons. “He is  _ours_ , Felicity.” Oliver whispered as if he was afraid that speaking too loudly, too honestly, might scare her. And he wouldn’t be completely off base. “You accepted him into your heart as selflessly and as beautifully as you accepted me. He matters to you in every way a son should, and that will never change…” Oliver hesitated, and she glanced up when she felt the tension in his body. “No matter what happens between us.”

“Oliver…” Felicity’s eyes darted between his, trying to find the right words. “I know that we’re going to be okay. This wasn’t a mistake.” She shook her head, “I shouldn’t have said that earlier. I just…I was hurt. I still am.” He licked his lips, staring down at her with earnest eyes as he nodded in understanding. “But I love you. I love that you’re fighting for me and I appreciate how much effort you’re putting into fixing this. I’m not going anywhere. I want you to know that.”

Sighing, Oliver slowly lifted his hand to touch her cheek, his fingers ghosting over her skin. “You’re my always, Felicity.”  _And I just want the chance to be yours,_  she immediately thought, the words familiar for the thousands of times she’d replayed them in her head. She knew that he meant what he’d said at their session. He loved her with everything he had. That fact still amazed her, and she was surprised that going through all of this was only making her love him even more. Deepening. Their connection growing stronger than it’d ever been.

Felicity tilted her face into his touch, letting his palm warm her cheek. Oliver stared down at her, his thumb absently brushing to the corner of her mouth. He touched her lip with his fingertip, careful not to ruin her makeup. His eyes were glued to the movement, his tongue coming out to wet his own lips.

Felicity’s lips parted, her heart beginning to hammer in her chest as she felt the air between them begin to ignite with that ardent spark she’d missed so much. Slowly, she wrapped her hand around his wrist, making sure he stayed. Her other hand gripped his tie, pulling him closer.

With his mouth grazing hers, she felt him hesitate, his breath coming in heavy pants as she reveled in the anticipation. And then Felicity closed the distance, pressing her lips to his. Oliver groaned instinctively, his fingers clenching in her hair, keeping her close. He sucked on her bottom lip, his tongue sliding out to taste her.

And she welcomed him naturally, like no time had passed at all.

Groaning again, he pulled her even closer, his chest crushing against hers while her hands slipped into his shirt, following his collar. Her nails dug in at the back of his neck. 

Oliver was in the middle of pushing her back towards the bed when he suddenly stopped, panting breathlessly and pulling away from her. “I want to do this right.”

“You’re doing everything right,” she hummed back desperately, reaching to pull his chin back to her.

He kissed her back, but his body tensed. “I just-you’re forgiving me-and I don’t want to-set us back-by rushing  _this_.” He explained between kisses.

Felicity pulled back to frown up at him. “I think at this point sex is only going to help us,” she shrugged. Oliver watched her, her thumb coming up to wipe lipstick from his upper lip. “I’m not going anywhere, Oliver.” She repeated. “We’re going to figure this out whether you make love to me right now, or a week from now, or a month from now.” He bit his lip, his fingers tightening on her hips. “You’re my always, too.”

Growling, Oliver wrapped an arm around her waist, lifting her off her feet and carrying her to the bed. Felicity giggled, her lips finding his ear as he eased her down onto the mattress, moving to hover over her.

When he glanced down at her, she could see the pure, happy, compassionate man who had somehow let his guard down for her. And she knew he could do it again. That he already was. “I love you so much, Oliver.”

Her husband nodded, and Felicity hooked her legs around his waist, pulling him down by his tie so she could kiss him. “I love you, too.” 

As he kissed her back, Felicity felt her mind turning off, giving in to the feel of him, losing herself in him. But just as he was slipping his hand between her legs, getting to the good stuff, a loud knock on the bedroom door startled her. 

“Dad?” William called, “we have to leave now or I’m going to be late. Is Felicity ready?”

“Yeah!” Oliver called back, frozen above her. “We’ll be there in just a minute, buddy.”

Trying to catch her breath, Felicity listened as William sighed dramatically and walked off. She ran her fingers over her forehead, pushing her hair back and taking in shallow breaths. 

She’d forgotten how kissing him made her feel.

When she looked up, Oliver’s eyes were on her. “What?” She asked, licking her lips.

Oliver just groaned, his mouth crashing against hers again while he let some of his body weight rest over her, between her legs, just enough to feel him in all the right places. “Oh,” she sighed back, opening her mouth for him and forgetting all about being late.

Her husband was on the same page, his tongue sliding into her mouth, tasting her like he’d been starved for this. “Fe-li-ci-ty,” he breathed her name, his teeth nipping at her bottom lip.

“Don’t stop,” she whispered back, grabbing onto his hips frantically, pulling him harder between her legs, afraid to lose the perfect sensation of his body pressed on top of hers.

Moving her hands around his back, Felicity spread her fingers, digging her nails in to scratch lightly. He moaned his approval, one hand sliding down from her hair to push at the strap of her dress, nudging it off her shoulder so he could kiss her there.

Felicity’s hand dropped to his head, biting her lip to keep quiet as Oliver sucked at her shoulder. 

Another knock sounded, louder this time, and Felicity yelped, clutching Oliver tight. “Dad!” William complained.

Breathing heavily against her skin, Oliver stopped his assault of kisses, making her want to scream. He picked his head up and looked down at her, his eyes careful, “later?”

She stared back at him, trying to think of some way to make  _later_ into  _now_ , but she knew they had to get going. So she scrunched her nose at him, “later. Definitely later.”

Oliver’s eyes softened as he smiled. He rubbed his nose against hers. “You look gorgeous, by the way.”

Felicity snorted, “before or after you ruined my hair and makeup?”

She could feel the smirk on his lips as he pressed a lazy kiss into the corner of her mouth. “Both,” he hummed, “always both.”

“Dad!”

Her husband pressed his forehead against hers.

“Felicity?” William squeaked, “are you guys ignoring me? Come on!”

Chuckling, Felicity nudged Oliver off of her, “yeah!” she called back, “almost ready, William…sorry!” She glanced at Oliver, who had lipstick from his mouth to his chin. And she knew her face wasn’t much better. “Just having a bit of a lipstick crisis in here.”

Oliver frowned, looking in the mirror before he smiled at her. 

William groaned like the normal, annoyed teenager he should be, making them both grin like the normal, irritating parents they should be. 

Shaking his head, Oliver moved back towards her, helping her readjust her dress, making sure everything was covered. “I used to hate when the team would make fun of me for getting caught with your lipstick on my cheek,” he mused, wrapping his arms around her. His smile widened,“but I kind of like this.”

Felicity met his eyes, feeling the urge to kiss him again, to let him pull her back to bed…so she poked a finger into his chest. She knew  _that_ look. “Ow,” Oliver frowned.

“None of that. We have to  _go._ Responsible parents that we are. Or something.”

“Right,” Oliver nodded once, letting go of her and twisting his hands together. She glanced at him suspiciously, moving towards the bathroom to fix her makeup, but he just stared back with wide, innocent eyes.

As she passed, Oliver reached out to swat her ass, making her yelp in surprise and then  _giggle_. The dorky little snort that always made him laugh. He grinned back, gesturing for her to continue on her way. She stuck her tongue out at him before closing herself in the bathroom, hopeful that ‘out of sight, out of mind’ was a concept that would work long enough for them to make it out the door.

Five minutes later, she was ready, and Oliver was clean of any lingering lipstick, except for a tiny bit on the collar of his shirt…but she didn’t mention it, liking the mark.

He pressed a chaste kiss to her cheek before they headed downstairs. But he didn’t reach out to hold her hand like he used to. Instead he walked behind her while she moved through the house. It was a new and slightly unsettling habit of his, she wasn’t sure he even realized he did it. Always keeping himself alert when he moved, making sure he had eyes on her and William, looking for anything out of place.

“William?” She called, glancing into the living room.

Oliver tensed when they saw it empty, moving down the hall and checking the other rooms as they went. “That’s weird,” Felicity mumbled, turning into the kitchen and not seeing him there, either.

“William?”

* * *

Feeling his heart begin to race, Oliver tried not to let it show. Not yet, at least. “William!?” He called out. Feeling Felicity’s hand slide down his back, he glanced over his shoulder at her, “where’d he go?” Oliver knew his voice wasn’t as even as it should be. But he was on the verge of panicking.

“Hey,” Felicity’s eyebrows furrowed, her nails lightly scratching into his back. “He’s around here somewhere.”

“How do you know that, Felicity?”

She stared up at his wide eyes, seeing something in him that he’d been working very hard to hide. His fear.

The sound of a car horn outside the window made them both jump, and Oliver quickly rushed to the front door, pulling it open and keeping his stance wide, careful to keep Felicity behind him and out of sight.

Oliver let out a sigh of relief when he saw William, waiting in the backseat of the car, leaning over to press the horn. 

He closed his eyes, taking in a few deep breaths to calm down. 

William honked the horn again, waving his arms around to hurry them up. “Let’s go!” He yelled out of the window. Silently, Oliver turned back to his wife, glancing quickly at her face before looking away. His mini moment of panic gave him away. He could see the wheels turning in her head, her eyes analyzing him. But he ignored it, reaching for her coat and helping her into it instead.

“You okay?” She asked as she buttoned it up.

“Yeah,” he shook his head, still trying to shake the nerves out. Then he grabbed the keys off the side table and kissed Felicity’s forehead. “Just a little on edge I guess.”

She nodded in understanding, twining her fingers through his. And she continued to hold his hand while he drove to William’s school. Their son filled Oliver in on every detail of his science fair last month that he possibly could in the ten minute car ride.

Oliver relaxed as he listened to William and felt Felicity’s thumb tracing slow, soothing circles against the back of his hand. It was just what he needed to calm down. Moments like this were  _exactly_ what made him feel better.

When they got to the school, William was out of the car before he could even turn it off. “Hey, William!” Oliver called out, “slow down, wait for us.”

William pointed at the building, “I’m late, dad! I gotta go check in with Mr. Fischer!”

“Okay,” Oliver hesitated, hating the idea of letting William out of his sight in a crowd like this. Nodding, his son began to run again, weaving through the sea of people, and Oliver watched him until he was inside. His eyes instinctively scanned the mass, looking for threats.

Felicity’s hand slid into his again, and he leaned into her where they stood in the parking lot. She pressed her lips to his shoulder. “He’s okay. Come on, honey.” His wife squeezed his hand, “let’s go find seats.”

Oliver tried to relax again while he followed Felicity through the crowd, but he couldn’t take his eyes off of her, either. It was the first time they’d really been out in public like this. Around so many people. And he realized that he was terrified. 

Felicity held his hand as tightly as he was gripping hers. And when she finally slumped into two open seats in the auditorium, she blew out a breath of air. Felicity rubbed his hand, “are you sure you’re okay? I’m kind of feeling like this is too much, too fast.”

“No,” Oliver shook his head. “I mean, yes, it’s a little overwhelming. But I need to be here.” He wasn’t sure if he meant to support William, or to protect him. Maybe it could be both.

“We’re glad you’re home, Oliver,” Felicity mumbled, pulling his hand to her lap. She hugged his arm, leaning back in her chair and resting her head on his shoulder. She moved so naturally, melting into him like she always had, and he wasn’t sure what he’d done to deserve her. But he could tell that she was letting him in again. He had no intentions of screwing that up.

“I love you,” Oliver whispered against her hair, taking a deep breath in. 

She picked her head up to look at him, a gorgeous smile crossing her lips while her eyes softened, pleased to hear the words. He really needed to start saying them more, if this was all it took to make her happy. “I love you, too.”

As he looked down at her, he noticed movement out of the corner of his eye at the back of the room. Most of the parents and family members were in their seats by now, but the crowd was still buzzing. They’d dimmed the lights just after they’d walked in, so the light coming from the open door at the back of the aisle caught his eye. The man slipping out of the back exit made him freeze. The dark suit and dark hair. He swore he saw a dragon tattoo on the man’s neck just before the door shut.

Oliver’s jaw clenched, his grip on Felicity’s knee tightening. “What is it?” She asked, turning to look at the door and then back at him.

“Diaz.”

Felicity’s eyes widened. “What? How?” She gripped his arm tighter, her eyes searching the audience. “Oliver, are you sure? Diaz has no way of knowing where we are. The three of us and Lyla’s agents are the only ones who know.”

“I saw him, Felicity.” Oliver kept his eyes on the door.

“Okay,” she whispered back. “Okay, what do we do?”

“I have to go get William,” His eyes scanned the room, taking in everything he possibly could. And his mind raced; bring Felicity or leave her in the crowd? Which was safer?

“I’ll text Lyla and have her send her henchmen, go.” Her eyes were hard, focused as she rummaged through her purse in search of her phone. Oliver hesitated another moment, but ultimately decided that a crowd was probably the safest place for her. And Diaz was leaving…which meant he could be going after William while he was sitting there petrified of making the wrong decision. He needed to move. Felicity looked up from her phone, reaching over to squeeze his knee as she reiterated his thoughts. “Go, Oliver. I’ll be fine here.”

He made his way quickly down the aisle and out of the auditorium, his eyes immediately searching the hallway. Aside from a few students near the water fountain and the volunteers at the concession stand, Oliver didn’t see anyone. He approached the table of bagged chips and water bottles, forcing a smile for the vendors. “Excuse me,” he interrupted their conversation about one of the other moms in the volunteer group. Oliver didn’t know or care what the drama was, but they were absorbed. “Excuse me,” he said again, a little louder this time. Harsher. 

The woman standing closest to him flinched, and he took a deep breath, trying to relax. “What can I get for you, hon?”

He’d planned on asking them if they saw a man in a suit come out of the auditorium and if they’d seen which way he went, but he doubted they’d been paying attention. “Um, my son’s playing the piano in the talent show tonight…and he forgot his lucky key chain. I know he must be really nervous. Would you mind telling me where the performers are waiting?”

She smiled, pointing down the hall, “through those doors and to your right.”

Oliver nodded once, hurrying down the hallway. “Thank you,” he offered over his shoulder.

* * *

Her knee bounced where she sat in her seat, her eyes on the stage. Sending a quick text to Lyla calmed her down the slightest bit. A.R.G.U.S had agents nearby, staying in Hope Springs, and they’d be in the building in just a few minutes.

She hated not going with Oliver to find William, but knew that this time, it was better to stay put. Felicity’s eyes moved to each door periodically every few seconds, waiting for Oliver to come back and give her a signal that it was safe.

Underneath the anxiety, there was also annoyance. She’d spent an awful long time looking for Diaz. Hunting him. But she’d given up when Oliver came home. Now she really wished she hadn’t done that. He’d found them instead, which was always what she’d been afraid of.

Even as her anger grew, she stayed alert, searching for Oliver and William while the show began. Her heart sank a little bit, wondering what was going on.

When the crowd began to applaud a little girl’s rendition of a Taylor Swift song, Felicity noticed the agent coming towards her. She shifted in her seat as the woman bent down, flashing her A.R.G.U.S badge quickly and discreetly, but Felicity had seen enough of them to know it was real. “Ms. Smoak,” she said, “your husband and son are waiting outside. Diaz isn’t here…not anymore at least.”

Felicity’s heart dropped a little bit, but she couldn’t say she was surprised. The one thing Ricardo Diaz seemed to be good at was hiding like a coward.

With a single nod, Felicity stood up and hurried to follow the woman out of the auditorium before the next act began. She kept close to the agent, keeping her head on a swivel as they walked down the hallway toward the front door, smiling and waving to the women at the concession stand, the same moms who tried to get her to join their fundraising group every time she dropped William off at school, as if nothing was wrong. 

She took in a deep breath of cold air as soon as they stepped outside, her heels clicking against the pavement. Walking ahead of the agent, Felicity felt irritation bubbling in her stomach, hating that their first night out as a family was ruined by Diaz. Annoyed that William wouldn’t get to play his song after all the time he’d spent learning piano. She crossed her arms, glancing in the direction of the car, but she didn’t see Oliver or William.

Felicity hesitated, her pace slowing. She frowned when she realized her husband and son were nowhere to be seen in that parking lot, but the more alarming clue was that her footsteps had gone silent.

Looking down at her feet in confusion, Felicity’s eyebrows pushed together, not understanding the absence of her familiar heels clicking as she walked. “What-” she breathed, a knot settling into her stomach when she realized that even her own voice was foggy and disorienting. Like she could only hear it in her own head. Not out loud.

The hair on the back of her neck stood up, and she turned towards the A.R.G.U.S agent, a question on her tongue. But the woman quickly ducked, kicking her leg out and catching Felicity’s heels, knocking her straight onto her back.

* * *

“Felicity!” Oliver screamed from the sidewalk in front of the school. He had a grip on William’s shoulder, terrified to let him go. 

Diaz was in the wind, again, but there were two of his lackeys tied up in the school’s basement as a present for A.R.G.U.S. Oliver knew Lyla would be particularly interested in the one with the weaponized shield and inhuman strength. “Felicity!” He yelled again, watching as she pulled her coat tighter, crossing her arms. 

His wife walked across the parking lot quickly, her eyes on her feet as if she couldn’t even hear him. He assumed that the woman flanking her was Lyla’s agent, but neither of them paid him any attention, which set his radar through the roof. 

Posed with the same dilemma as earlier, when he’d left Felicity to find William, Oliver looked down at his son. He wanted to run after his wife, ask her where she was going, but he was afraid to leave William. What if Diaz came back? And he was afraid to bring him because something felt  _wrong_.

Oliver’s fear got the better of him. He’d never been one to overthink. He had always worked off of instinct. If he didn’t, he would’ve ended up dead. Worrying about William and Felicity’s lives was a whole different story, though. He hesitated too long, and the next thing he knew, Felicity was thrown to the ground.

Seeing her back hit the gravel, the wind knocked out of her, Oliver bolted. He knew William wouldn’t stay put, making the decision for him. “Felicity?” William cried out, taking off right on Oliver’s heels.

As he got closer to his wife and the agent, Oliver knew that something was wrong. Felicity was gasping for breath, but he couldn’t hear a sound from her. William’s heavy footsteps quieted behind him, yet he could see out of the corner of his eye that his son wasn’t far behind. In fact, Oliver couldn’t hear anything.

When he reached the woman, she turned on him instantly, and Oliver quickly dropped to his knee, dodging her fist that swung towards his chin. 

He sparred with her longer than he had the others, disoriented by the chilling  _silence_. He’d never had to wonder how much of his fighting ability relied on sound, hearing his opponents shift in movement before they attacked. The other problem was that he couldn’t stop glancing at Felicity, trying to catch her breath again and sit up with William’s help.

Landing a stumbling blow to the woman, he took a brief moment to look down at his family, keeping an eye on his opponent while she stumbled back. “Oliver!” Felicity mouthed, her hand raising to point at the woman. Her waist. His eyebrows furrowed as she gained her composure and lunged towards him again. As she did, he noticed the tiny white square hooked to her hip.

With the pieces clicking, Oliver waited until the last moment to sidestep her elbow heading to connect with his nose. He quickly grabbed the device, tossing it to Felicity in one movement, and bringing his arm down hard across the woman’s back in the next. Her eyes flashed with panic when she realized that he’d swiped it, darting between him and Felicity. 

Oliver stood ready, either to defend himself or his wife, whoever she decided to go for. Before she could even decide, Felicity found a trigger on the device, and with a loud metallic sound, everything came back into focus. Aside from each of their breaths, the cars, and the dull music coming from the school, they all paused. And then Felicity groaned, “Longbow Hunters.”

Stiffening, Oliver’s eyes snapped up to the woman he’d just been fighting, a renewed sense of fear and intimidation settling in his stomach that he  _hated_. “It’s over,” he growled at the stranger. “Your friends are patiently awaiting extraction from  _our_ friends…who would love to meet you all. If you’re really the Hunters…then I’m sure they’ve had your number for a very long time.”

The woman straightened her shoulders, “ARGUS doesn’t scare me.”

“Well, they scare Diaz.” Oliver cocked his head to the side, but his stance held, ready to react should he need to. “Your fearless leader took off the second he realized he was losing.”

When she took a slight step back, away from him and his family, Oliver felt the slightest moment of relief. She glared at them for one more moment before running off. 

“Oliver,” Felicity whispered as he stared after the woman, making sure she was far out of sight. “You can’t just let her get away.”

Sighing, Oliver dropped down beside her. “We have two other Hunters that came with Diaz. And that,” he gestured to the device in her hands. “We’ll catch him.” But Felicity and William remained his focus. “Are you okay?” He asked, helping his wife to her feet. She groaned a bit, her back obviously hurting. 

Glancing at his son, William gave him a small nod of understanding, letting him know that he was fine. So he turned back to Felicity. “I’m all right,” she breathed, still a little breathless from getting the wind knocked out of her.

Gently lifting her shirt up, Oliver winced when he saw a bruise already forming, right below her shoulders, where she’d landed hard on the pavement. He let his hand wander down her spine, keeping his finger’s light as he reached the base of her spine, just over her chip implant. “You sure?” He mumbled.

This time she took a moment to breathe in and out, letting herself feel the aches before she answered. Once she was satisfied that her back and legs felt okay, Felicity nodded, “good.”

“Okay,” Oliver answered with a deep breath, relieved. “Let’s get you home.”

* * *

The thing he liked about Dr. Holbrook was that they’d found a therapist they could trust. One who they could be honest with, because she basically opened their sessions by stating that she believed he was the Green Arrow, and she supported his cause. And she’d very strictly told them that she expected nothing less than transparency, or else seeing her would be a waste of everyone’s time.

Leaving her office always made them both feel a little better, like their wounds were slowly but surely healing. While they never walked out of there feeling worse than when they’d gone in, some days made them both feel more tired.

It’d been a week since Diaz’s attack at William’s school. Felicity was absorbed in finding him, and Oliver wanted to see the guy behind bars just as badly, but her methods were concerning. She was diving into the search headfirst and wholeheartedly. 

Felicity had always been one to blur lines between legal and illegal…but never between  _right_ and  _wrong_. But when she’d suggested an idea to basically use Black Siren as Diaz bait, Oliver had been a bit taken aback. He knew Felicity wouldn’t act on it, but it surprised him that she’d even think like that. He was usually the one to come up with ruthless, cold plans that  _she_ had to adjust. 

Oliver didn’t regret that he’d aired out his concern for her during their session, but he could tell that Felicity was deep in thought. She stayed quiet for the drive home, looking out the passenger window as she chewed on her lip. When he reached across the seat to take her hand, she locked her fingers through his, but said nothing. 

Luckily, he knew his wife, so he brought them home and started to fix dinner, letting her have some time to herself. He headed for the kitchen with a quick kiss on her cheek while she settled on the couch, pulling out her tablet and getting back to work on Diaz, he was sure.

About twenty minutes later, Felicity wandered into the kitchen, tablet abandoned. “That smells good,” she offered, leaning on the counter beside him and bending down to smell the sauce simmering on the stove.

Oliver smiled in response, keeping his hands busy dicing the vegetables. “Oliver,” Felicity started, her voice quiet as she crossed her arms. “I want to talk about what you said to Dr. Holbrook today…about being worried about me.”

“Okay,” he kept his smile in place, hoping it encouraged her to continue.

“Do you really think I’ve changed?” Felicity asked, her eyes looking down at his hands as she spoke.

He set the knife down, turning to face her. “I think we both have,” he shrugged. When she didn’t look up, Oliver touched his finger to her chin, gently lifting it so he could see her face. “It’s not a bad thing, Felicity. After seven years of knowing each other, I’m happy that we’ve been able to learn from each other. I think we’ve been growing together since we met.” He gave her a small grin, “probably me more than you, but still.”

Felicity laughed, turning her cheek into his palm. “I didn’t mean that we should get Black Siren, or  _anyone_ , killed for the sake of finding Diaz.”

“I know,” Oliver’s eyebrows furrowed. “Felicity, you’re the best person I’ve ever known. Usually it’s me who has to ask those kinds of questions, though. I was just surprised, that’s all.”

“So, you don’t think I’ve become a horrible, cruel person?”

He let out a surprised huff, stepping closer. “That’s what’s been bothering you?” He asked, shaking his head at her. “Where did you even get that?” Oliver wrapped his arms around her. “Felicity, I’m pretty sure being cruel is impossible for you. I know who you are. You’re not horrible or cruel, you’re a mother and a wife…you’re protecting our family. We’ve both always been willing to do whatever it takes to make sure William is safe. ”

Felicity bit her lip, relaxing into his embrace, her hands falling to his shoulders and sliding down his chest. “We’ll find a way, then.” She smiled, looking up into his eyes.

Oliver smiled back, nodding as he leaned in, rubbing his nose against hers. “We always do,” he mumbled, pressing his lips against hers.


End file.
